In January of 2018, Michael and I went to Cuba for our 10-year wedding anniversary. Originally, we were scheduled to go in September of 2017, but Hurricane Irma had other plans. We were only in Cuba for six days, but it felt like three weeks. It was an incredible trip and we hope to go back there someday with Lucas and Henry.
There are some restrictions for traveling to Cuba, but it is not impossible for Americans to travel there. If anyone is interested in going please reach out and we can tell you how it is possible.
We flew into Havana and took a prearranged taxi two and a half hours west to the city of Viñales. 
We had an interesting conversation about Cuba with a friend our driver picked up along the way. She told us:
- The average cost for a house payment is 60 CUP (2 USD) per month for 15 years.
- Education is free, but then you work for the government for 2 years
- There are 4 universities- normal college, teacher college, medical college, sports college.
- Teacher salary- 600 CUP (23 USD) per month and 100 CUP is taken out for social security
- Medical expenses are covered 100% for Cuban Residents
Viñales is named for wine, but when the people tried to grow grapes for the wine they found the climate was not right. We stopped at a paladar (privately-owned restaurant) in Viñales for lunch. We had salad, sweet potato plantain chips, two types of rice, beans, chicken, and tuna. It was 10 CUC ($10) per person.
We visited a tobacco farm where we learned about how they make cigars. We got to try a cigar and see how one is rolled.
We arrived around 4:30 to our casa particular, Casa Juana. Casa particulars are like Airbnbs. People host tourists in their homes. Outside of Havana, there aren’t any Holiday Inns, so tourists stay in people’s houses. It is a way to support the people of Cuba while visiting. Also, there are several government-owned hotels in Cuba where Americans are not supposed to stay.
We chatted with our host Pedro for a while. He used to be a physics professor. His wife is a doctor. Pedro told us that they make more money off Airbnb than being a professor and a doctor in Cuba.
On day two of our trip, we woke up with the roosters around 5:00 am. We had a lovely breakfast in our casa particular (fruit, bread, eggs, lemon pastries, juice, and coffee).
At 9 am a guide picked us up for a horseback riding plantation tour. Michael rode Niño a stubborn horse who would not gallop for him (Vamos! Niño!). I rode a tired and hungry horse named Carmelo. I almost fell off when Carlmelo’s legs slipped going up a muddy hill, but it all worked out. We met a solo traveler named Philip. He is from Hong Kong but studying law in St. Louis. His horse was named Tequila.
The scenery in Cuba is breathtaking. We visited a small lake with a beautiful backdrop of the mountains, another tobacco farm, and a coffee plantation.
On day three we explored Viñales on bikes. We borrowed our hosts’ bikes and rode to the Mural de Prehistori. It is a 120-meter long painting on the side of Mogote Pita. It was designed by Leovigildo González Morillo. It took 18 people 4 years to complete.
We bought some souvenirs, had tacos for lunch, and headed in a collectivo taxi to Havana. A collective taxi is a shared taxi that is a popular mode of transportation in Cuba. The taxi was an old 1950s station wagon and it was crammed with Six passengers besides us.
After 2 hours stuck in the very back of the collective, we made it to our casa particular in Havana. Our host Ana and her husband greeted us. Our casa particular was a small room in a house with three other rooms. It had a downstairs where we ate breakfast.
On our first night in Havana, we walked along the Malecon at sunset all the way from old Havana to Hotel Nacional. We ended up eating dinner and seeing a high-energy cabaret show at the Parisien Cabernet.
We headed back to the hostel in a 1950s taxi that seemed like it was going to fall apart. When people think of Cuba, they often think about the iconic old cars. They are everywhere.
On Day 4 we started with a lovely breakfast in our casa particular. We started walking in Havana Viejo and it immediately started raining. With our umbrella safely in the room, we ducked into a farmacia. It looked like a set from Harry Potter.
Luckily, we realized we were right next to the hotel where Ernest Hemingway stayed while writing three of his books. We went in to get out of the rain and explore. I went into his room, which has been turned into a museum.
The hotel also had a rooftop bar with great views of the city. Once the rain cleared, we walked down towards the rum museum- which was closed but we found a great restaurant next to it called Circo Club.
After lunch, we took a ferry over to Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña and walked around.
We ended the night having a drink at the Iberostar hotel listening to more music.
On day five we took a classic car ride. It was a beautiful red and white classic car. Our driver Pepe took us all over town. He played Cuban music and the weather was perfect. We saw the revolution square, several hotels and drove around parts of Havana we had not yet seen. Michael stopped at Hotel Nacional to buy cigars.
We spent about two hours at the Museum of the revolution. It is fascinating. The museum was created to teach Cubans about their own history. There is a lot of information about the events leading up to, during, and immediately after the Cuban Revolution.
We walked back to the Malecon that night to see one last sunset.
Cuba is a beautiful country with a complicated and rich story. We loved our trip there, and we highly recommend taking a trip to Cuba.
